I disagree with all the "special" suggestions here.
Just put the queen in (direct release), dump
the bees in the box, and let 'em do their thing.
By the time packages are delivered to any but
the largest beekeepers placing the largest
"early" orders, the temps are fine to be
tossing the bees straight into a full medium
or two.
While restricting them to a smaller area
certainly won't hurt much, it won't help
either.
Just one more thing to have to remember to
do, to go back and remove the divider or
move the frames from a nuc to a full-sized box.
New beekeepers need suggestions that keep
things simple, and low cost. They are not
going to be installing packages in the bitter
cold, so the bees likely won't have to cluster.
> conserving heat is the first concern
Like a smaller box is going to matter at all
in the event that the bees do have to cluster!
Hey, even a split has enough bees to make
a decent spring cluster, not to worry. I've
made lots of splits in my parka, and the bees
have always done just fine.
> the bees can regulate the temperature much
> better in a small environment than a full
> sized deep brood box.
Huh? No, the bees don't have to keep the
entire box volume warm, they cluster, and
they gather over brood to keep it warm.
The ambient temperature away from these
areas is the OUTSIDE ambient temp, which
makes sense when you see how big the entrance
(or even bigger, the Screened Bottom Board)
is in relation to the interior volume.
So, bottom line, just get the bees in a box,
and let them draw some comb. If you can get
some nice new clean drawn comb from a buddy
to get them "started", it might help, but
you'd be amazed how fast a well-fed hive
can draw comb. So get a decent-sized feeder,
and if 1-gallon, check it every other day,
and if 5-gallon, check it every few days.
Anything less, is... less, and is going to
run dry, and limit the growth of your package
into a real colony.